Proposal of ICARs’ merger courts controversy

The proposed merger of three central institutes of Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR) has become controversial triggering opposition from scientists and political leaders in Tamil Nadu, reports Hindu.

An expert committee headed by a retired bureaucrat , had recommended that the Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (CIBA) in Chennai be merged with the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) in Kochi, and Sugarcane Breeding Institute (SBI) in Coimbatore be made a sub-centre of the Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research in Lucknow.

Similarly, , the National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB) in Tiruchi may be merged with the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR) in Bengaluru.

DMK working president M.K. Stalin has opposed the merger proposals saying this would deprive Tamil Nadu of institutes of national and international repute in Chennai, Coimbatore and Tiruchi.

The merger will knock the bottom out of the aquaculture and research development in Tamil Nadu and affect a large number of employees, Mr. Stalin said in a letter to Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh.